Why lineups for midwives are getting longer in Kamloops
There are long lineups of pregnant mothers hoping for a midwife in Kamloops and the lineups are getting longer.
Sage Hills Community Midwives recently announced on social media they are closing, at least temporarily, as both midwives there are stepping away to take time with family.
On Feb. 16, a letter was obtained by CFJC from Dr. Shaun Davis and Dr. Nagu Atmuri with the Thompson Regional Family Obstetrics clinic announcing the clinic is closing due to staffing shortages. The clinic is made up of family physicians and two midwives who provide families with maternity care delivering between 50 and 60 babies every month.
Joanne Norman is the Chief of the Department of Midwifery at Royal Inland Hospital and owner at Mighty Oak Midwifery Care in Kamloops.
“Midwifery has been here since 2008 and there has always been a wait list, we’ve never had enough midwives to fill the demand,” she said. “Our wait lists are increasing.”
The solution to the problem is clear, the city needs more midwives, but getting midwifery to a sustainable system is far from simple.
Norman is creating positive recruitment packages, trying to get more funding and looking at more innovative collaborative models between midwives and family physicians providing maternity care.
“Maternity care has not been terribly visible in terms of getting adequate supports and funding for sustainability and fewer family physicians are taking over obstetrics,” she said. “We need more collaborative care models and support from Interior Health and Ministry of Health Services.”
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Norman said there are not enough midwives province-wide — roughly 300 more are needed — and the demand for them is high everywhere. Some 20 students graduate every year from the only program in the province at UBC.
“These graduates have employment opportunities everywhere,” she said. “We are working on a really positive recruitment package that really highlights what a great community Kamloops is, with the great new maternity ward in the tower that was just built and opportunities for collaborative models. If they come out short term, maybe we can encourage them to stay longer.”
In B.C., registered midwives offer primary maternity care to healthy pregnant clients and their newborn babies from early pregnancy, through labour and birth, until about six weeks following delivery. Midwifery emphasizes the natural ability to experience birth with minimum intervention and the principle that all clients are to be respected and supported in all stages of care.
Norman uses a model at her clinic where midwives spend a lot of dedicated time with each family, taking on four to six cases per month.
“We maintain continuity through pregnancies where a maximum of two midwives share a case load so clients get to know those people well,” she said. “Research shows women who are familiar and comfortable with their primary care providers have better health outcomes during labour and birth.”
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While most women choose to deliver in hospital, Norman said 25 to 30 percent opt for home deliveries.
“Midwives do both. For home births we have regulations around who is eligible for home births and criteria to ensure the birth is safe and supported.”
If higher risks develop over the course of a pregnancy the mother is referred to an obstetrician, but the midwives stay involved for continuity and continue on to provide postpartum care. Postpartum care is done in the homes so clients don’t have to go out for appointments.
Norman said a lot of expectant mothers apply for a midwife through her clinic’s website. She also gets referrals from the hospital for those who don’t have a family doctor, and referrals from those with physicians who don’t provide maternity care.
She will continue working to meet the demand for maternity care services in the city.
“More primary care providers have been working together trying to find solutions to ensure midwifery stays sustainable for Kamloops families,” she said. “We need support from the Ministry of Health and Interior Health in terms of the pay that goes into attracting more physicians to our community, the cost of overhead and clinic space, and removing barriers between practitioners working together.”
Midwifery is regulated under the ministry of health and funded through B.C. care cards.
A spokesperson with Interior Health told iNFOnews. the letter from the Thompson Regional Family Obstetrics will not be shared to anyone outside of the medical practice.
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